We rode (frantically) to Back Bay, and got on the train just in time. We took it to Route 128 and then discovered that we were in what felt like the middle of nowhere (it didn’t help that this is Labor Day weekend so there is no traffic or other activity whatsoever.) We consulted the map and discovered that you can’t get across the tracks to Green Lodge Rd (which would cut 2 miles off the trip). Just to make sure, we consulted with the Amtrak ticketing agents, who comically pulled out a map of, well, all of Eastern Massachusetts, which did nothing to help us find a non-car route past the interstate.

The route we took from Route 128 station  was University Ave south, Canton Rd East, Elm Street North, Green Lodge East, and Washington Street north to the trailside museum. This was not a very nice choice, as Canton is rather busy and narrow,  but Washington Street is a very busy road which crosses Route 93 with basically no provision for bikes. The traffic moves very quickly, and despite the holiday was very heavy.

The reservation itself is very nice, and rather small; I think you could probably hike the entire length in a full day. As it was, we basically did the red dot trail up to the brick observation tower and came back. The views are spectacular with Boston rising up and then disappearing into trees, and the long coastline and many islands in the bay. It was funny to see my office building in the skyline, knowing that you can look out those windows and easily pick out this exact point, too.

On the trip back to Boston, we aimed to take the T from Hyde Park. Again, we timed it perfectly, but discovered that there are quite a few Commuter Rail stations in that immediate vicinity; we rode excitedly to Fairmount station, only to discover no trains (especially the one we were looking for) stopped there on the weekend. With minutes until our train, we sped a few blocks over to Hyde Park station, a couple minutes before the train pulled in. However, our error took us onto Truman Parkway, which has a separated, widely paved bike lane which I believe to be part of the Neponset River Greenway (which you can take, in sections, all the way to UMass Boston).

The correct route would have been Washington Street North, right at Canton Street, left at Atherton street, right at Brush Hill Road (you could also get on Brush Hill right after turning on to Canton if you please, and then left at Fairmount, which continues left into River and then directly to the T. This route is quite pleasant and scenic all the way until Fairmount Street, although I imagine the detour by way of Brush Hill would have also been pretty. Brush Hill would have also taken you right to Readville Station, although that sees less traffic, it seems.

Today the plan is to go to the Fells by way of the Orange line; once you arrive at Oak Grove, it is a pretty short trip (15 minutes walking I read) to get to the park.